In many large companies having large integrated systems, documentation can be spread over a large number of buildings and/or companies, organized according to a large number of different storage methods, and indexed according to a large number of indexing schemes. In this regard, when a searcher desires to search and gather information regarding a specific subject, the searcher would typically be required to extensively search for the information, either manually or electronically.
The searcher would typically begin by locating the area of the company housing the information, which can be located in different buildings, such as between a sales office and maintenance building, for example. Once in the area of the information, the searcher would then be required to search through the various collections of documents in the area, such as manuals, according to the specific storage method of the area, such as alphabetically or according to a type of library indexing scheme. After finding the relevant collection, the searcher would be required to search for specific documents related to the desired subject according to the indexing scheme of the specific collection, such as according to the organization of the table of contents, index, etc., to locate the specific information desired. In the case of electronic searching, the searcher must often locate information through one or more databases or electronic documents using differing sets of interfaces, search schema and hyperlinking criteria.
Many times, the resources required to search for relevant information outpace the actual use of the information. As such, conventional searching can be time consuming, inefficient and costly for a company. Therefore, it would be desirable to design a system for accessing information that efficiently and inexpensively allows a searcher to locate relevant information without expending unnecessarily large amount of time.